BRAINBUSTER

NO 712

ACROSS

1 Components of a book (5) 3 Save (6) 7 Extinct terrestrial reptile (8) 10 Queen Elizabeth’s dogs (breed) (5) 13 Titanium (symbol) (2) 14 Blush (5) 15 Prepared (5) 16 Champagne and orange juice (6) 18 Basic characteristics (6) 20 Tosses a ball (cricket) (5) 22 Spain (internet domain name) (2) 23 Bridegroom’s attendant (4,3) 25 Efforts (8) 27 Gratitude (12) 30 Exclamation (2) 32 Bachelor of Arts (abbr) (2) 33 Feline (3) 34 Extraordinary (11) 36 Mild nature (6) 37 Stain (4) 38 Rooibos and Darjeeling, eg (3) 39 Picture (5) 42 Plateau (9) 45 Items (8) 47 Remoteness (8) 50 Since (2) 51 Percussion instrument (9) 54 Between noon and evening (9) 56 Calcium (symbol) (2) 57 Tropical (6) 59 Consume (food) (3) 60 Astatine (symbol) (2) 61 Thug (7) 64 Lifted (6) 67 Not off (2) 68 Assuredly (9) 70 A cigarette (inf ) (5) 72 Reclining (5) 75 Satisfy (4) 77 Paradise (4) 78 Ignorant (literary) (9) 81 Dull pain (4) 82 Tallest mammal (7) 84 Extreme (5) 85 Light-coloured (4) 87 Topic of interest (5) 89 Whirl (4) 91 Encountered (3) 92 Ability (5) 94 A length measured (7) 96 Tint of green (5) 97 Rate (7) 99 Gyrate (5) 100 Type of grain (3) 101 Waves breaking on the

shore (4) 103 Breast (5) 104 Ridge of coral (4) 106 Hairlike structures (5) 109 Deference (7) 110 Doing nothing (4) 112 A good-luck charm (9) 117 Small island (4) 119 Ready (4) 121 Inspect accounts (5) 124 Loft (5) 126 First meal of the day (9) 129 Payment (abbr) (2) 130 Respect deeply (6) 131 Spot (7) 134 Operating room

(abbr) (2) 135 Go up and down (3) 136 Simple (6) 137 Ever (poetic) (2) 138 Very good (9) 141 Reduction (9) 142 China (internet domain

name) (2) 144 Dipped (8) 147 Word differently (8) 149 Yearning for the past (9) 151 Disparaging (5) 152 Metal container (3) 153 Not suitable for proceeding (2,2) 154 Preferably (6) 156 Without delay (11) 160 Type of tree (3) 162 Silicon (symbol) (2) 163 Decibel (abbr) (2) 164 Splendour (12) 165 Puffer (8) 169 Level area of elevated

land (7) 171 Indefinite article (2) 172 Soil (5) 173 Chalice (6) 174 Tropical lizard (6) 176 Article (5) 177 After March (5) 178 Dal segno (abbr) (2) 179 Oaks, eg (5) 180 Supplier (8) 181 Vacillated (6) 182 Fair and sunny (5)

DOWN

1 Allegory (7) 2 Pasture land (5) 3 Edge (3) 4 Brazilian dance (5) 5 Remove (5) 6 National flower of the Netherlands (5) 7 Put in the bank (7) 8 Unrivalled (9) 9 Regret (3) 11 (Have) revised (9) 12 Imply (9) 17 Came to rest (7) 19 Army leaders (inf ) (3,5) 20 Shelf support (7) 21 Thai monetary unit (4) 24 . . . up (clean up) (3) 26 Asylum seeker (7) 28 Sun god (Egypt) (2) 29 Thanks (inf ) (2) 31 Spirit (4) 35 Squid-like mollusc (10) 37 To moderate (7) 40 Definitions (8) 41 Muhammad Ali, eg (5) 43 A Protestant (7) 44 No date (abbr) (2) 46 River in Central Europe (3) 48 Doubter (7) 49 Garlic mayonnaise (5) 52 Loutish person (3) 53 Alleviated (5) 54 Preparation (11) 55 Feel shocked (4) 56 Thorny succulent plants (5) 58 Quartz, eg (8) 62 USA (7) 63 Negative answer (2) 65 Aloof (5-7) 66 Dysprosium (symbol) (2) 67 I (3) 69 . . . to nothing (hardly anything) (4) 71 Retain possession (4) 73 Lack of knowledge (12) 74 Operates (4) 76 An extremely long time (4) 79 Your sibling’s daughter (5) 80 European Union (abbr) (2) 83 Angry (7) 86 Humiliate (5) 87 Rude (11) 88 Sudden increase (5) 90 Veggie with green pods (3) 92 Mount (abbr) (2) 93 Neither . . . (3) 94 The (archaic) (2) 95 Happen again (5) 98 Nasal opening (7) 99 Last month of the year (8) 101 Bypass (4) 102 Enemies (4) 105 Worry (4) 107 Row (4) 108 After hours (abbr) (2) 111 Intentional (10) 113 Work spaces (7) 114 Access (5) 115 Occurred (8) 116 Away (3) 118 Immature insect (5) 120 Type of lettuce (7) 122 Iridium (symbol) (2) 123 Notify (4) 125 Disease of the lungs

(abbr) (2) 127 Cavern (5) 128 Disliked person (2-3-2) 132 Mother (inf ) (3) 133 Cage (5) 139 Play it by . . . (3) 140 Raise an . . . (look

quizzical) (7) 142 A lawbreaker (8) 143 Modus operandi

(abbr) (2) 144 Currently holding

office (9) 145 Collection of wild

animals (9) 146 Be close to overflowing (3,4) 148 Flawlessly (9) 149 Securing (with a

hammer) (7) 150 Step on someone’s . . . (4) 155 Hollow and cylindrical (7) 157 Without purpose (4) 158 Amateur Boxing

Association (abbr) (3) 159 Not as old (7) 161 Tin (symbol) (2) 162 Southeast (abbr) (2) 166 Regarding graduating

colours (5) 167 Lets down (5) 168 Serious (5) 170 The best (5) 173 Opening (3) 175 Continue to speak (3)